Ink printing tool

ABSTRACT

A hand-held printing tool for producing labels and the like having ink printed characters from an elongate strip of material which may be severed to desired lengths. The tool includes a print wheel carrying print elements on flexible fingers mounted in the tool such that a desired print element, when selected by rotation of the print wheel, is deflected out of the plane of adjacent print elements to enable inking of the selected print element and printing with the selected print element without interference from the adjacent print elements.

United States Patent Bremer Oct. 14, 1975 [54] INK p n T001, 3,112,69712/1963 Pittman et al. 101 292 I 3,331,315 7/1967 Hen 101/103 X [75]Inventor: Fmz Bremen Paulo 3,360,093 12/1967 McD zinald et al. 197/6.7 xBrazll 3,381,789 5/1968 Hawes 197 45 [73] Assignee: Dymo Industries,Inc., San 3414'1O2 12/1968 won/6,116 197/6'7 Francisco Calif 3,420,172l/l969 Kaplan 10l/291 3,521,555 7/1970 Price et al 101/103 [22] Filed:June 19, 1973 3,587,810 6/197l 3,620,343 11/1971 pp 371,555 3,721,1873/1973 3,743,072 7/1973 Akimoto 197/47 X [52] US. Cl 197/46; 101/359FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [51] Int. CLZ 341,] l/24 292 013 192United Kingdom ]97/47 1 Field of Search 1 /9 93 430,851 10 1911 France197/46 lOl/93 R, 20, 111,113, 94,100,101, -103, 359, 91, 93 C;197/44-48, 51-55, 6.4-6.7, 6; primary Examiner E H Eickholt 156/510Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Samuelson & Jacob [56] References Cited [57]ABSTRACT UNITED STATES PATENTS A hand-held printing tool for producinglabels and the 364,556 6/1887 wagncr 197/45 like having ink printedcharacters from an elongate 4451398 X 23 E strip of material which maybe severed to desired 47694 H 2 lengths. The tool includes a print wheelcarrying print 513,476 l/l894 Berrlen 197/47 elements on flexiblefingers mounted in the tool such 720,573 2/1903 Elmblad..... 197/461.3737545 41/192] wiegman 10] /20 that a deslred prmt element, whenselected by rotatlon 1,450527 4/1923 Damley 197/46 of the print wheel,15 deflected out of the plane of ad- 1,927,118 9/1933 George 197/6jacent print elements to enable inking of the selected 2,367,313 l/1945Reynolds et a1. lOl/l03 X print element and printing with the selectedprint ele- 2,551,985 5/1951 Weller 101 MN ment without interference fromthe adjacent print ele- 3,059,571 10/1962 Worth 101 91 x menu, 3,083,8074/1963 Travaglio.. lOl/29 X 3,101,049 8/1963 Huppert 101/292 15 Claims,3 Dr ng Figures U.S. Patent Oct.14,1975 Sheet 1 of6 3,912,066

US Patent Oct. 14, 1975 Sheet 4 of6 3,912,066

is 60 81 40 F 562" Z00 9 l J. j. l D

US. Patent Oct. 14, 1975 Sheet6of6 3,912,066

INK PRINTING TOOL The present invention relates generally to printingtools and pertains, more specifically, to a hand' tool for printing aseries of consecutive characters upon an elongate strip of material forproducing labels and the like.

A wide variety of techniques is currently in use for fabricatingdisplays such as labels, signs, nameplates, identification tags, cards,badges, and like items having a series of consecutive characters madevisible against a constrasting background. One technique which hasbecome quite popular is that of embossing indicia on thin plastic stripsformed of sheeted thermoplastic synthetic resins which are capable ofbeing coldformed to establish a contrast color relief enfigurementtherein. The ensuing development of simple, low cost tools and machineswhich can be used to practice that technique has not only led towidespread use of such displays, but has generated an increased demandfor similarly simple and low cost tools and machines which can be usedfor fabricating displays utilizing alternate techniques which producesimilarly utilitarian, but aesthetically different results. One suchalternate technique is that of printing an elongate strip of materialwith a series of consecutive characters utilizing ink as the printingmedium. While ink printing is quite common in the fabrication of suchdisplays, the printing of consecutive selected characters upon anelongate strip of material requires a combination of ease of selectionof each character, accuracy of registration of consecutive characters,and print quality in all characters heretofore unavailable in a simple,easy-to-use hand-held tool.

. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide Another objectof the invention is to provide such a hand tool which is easy to use andwhich attains accurate registration of consecutive printed characterswith good print quality.

Still another object of the invention is to'provide such a tool in whichgood print quality is maintained over long periods of use withoutrequiring replenishment of the ink supply.

A,further object of the invention is to provide such a hand tool whichenables rapid selection of each character to be printed and whichprovides a wide choice of printing characters with minimal complexity.

A still further object of the invention is to' provide a hand tool asdescribed above which enables the printed strip to be severed intodiscrete displays, or labels, or to remain in a strip of individuallabels, joined by a common backing.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a hand tool of thetype described which utilizes a strip supply contained in a magazine andwherein the structural relationship between the magazine and the feedmeans of the tool assures advancement of the strip from the supply inaccurate increments of advancement for accurate registration ofthe'printed characters.

The above objects, as well as still further objects and advantages, areattained by the invention which may be described briefly as a printingtool for printing selected characters upon an elongate strip ofmaterial, the tool tool;

movement along a first path of travel passing through the printingstation, carrier means for guiding the strip material along a secondpath of travel passing through the-printing station and juxtaposed withthe first path of travel at the printing station, selector means forselectively locating any one of the print means at the printing station,deflector means on the frame for displacing the selected printing meansout of the. first path of travel toward the second path of travel at theprinting station, inking means on the frame forapplying ink to theselected printing means,- and operator means on the frame for engagingthe strip with the selected printing means at the printing station toprint the selected character upon the strip.

The invention will be more fully understood, while still further objectsand advantages thereof will become apparent, in the following detaileddescription of a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partially cut away, of an'inkprinting tool constructed in accordance with the invention; 7

FIG. 2 is a top plan view, partially cut away, of the FIG. 3 is a planview of a label tape printed in the tool of FIG. 1; g

FIG. 4 is an enlarged top plan view of thetool with certain componentparts removed to reveal other working components;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectionakview taken along line 5-5 of FIG.4, but with the removed components replaced;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tool with component parts removed toreveal working componentsj FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are diagrammatic viewsillustrating component parts of the tool in several operating positionsduring a printing operation; I V

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5, butwith component parts in another operating position; I v 7 FIG. 11 is aperspective view of a component part'of the tool;

FIG. 12 isan enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line12- l2 of FIG. 5; and FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragment of a portion ofFIG.

Referring now to the drawing, and especially to FIGS, 1 through 3thereof, an ink printing tool constructed in accordance with theinvention is illustrated inthe form of ahand-held tool 10 which printsselected comprising a frame, a printing station on the'fram'e, a

plurality of printing means mounted on the frame for characters 12 uponan elongate strip of material, illustrated in the form of a tape14,-having an obverse surface 15 which may be printed upon with ink toproduce labels 16 or the like with ink printed characters 12 placed upona background 18 of contrasting color. Tool 10 includes a frame 20comprised of a main frame 22 and a sub-frame 24, the main frame.22having a downwardly extending portion 26 which provides a handle forbeing gripped by the hand of an operator. Each character 12 is printedby actuating an operator means which includes an actuator lever 30mounted upon the frame 20 for pivotal movement about a lateral axis: 32between a rest position, illustrated in full lines at 30R FIG. 1, apartially depressed, or intermediate position illustrated in phantom at30? in FIG. 1, and a full y depres sed position, illustrated in phantomat 30D in FIG. I, the actuator lever 30 being biased toward the restposition 30R by a main return spring 33.

Each character is printed upon the tape 14 at a printing station 34wherein there is located one of a plurality of printing means shown inthe form of print elements 36 mounted on the frame 20 for movement alonga path of travel 38 which, in the illustrated embodiment, is circularand which passes through the printing station 34. Selector means areprovided for selectively locating any one of the print elements 36 atthe printing station 34 and include a selector wheel 40 mounted forrotation upon the frame 20 and carrying a pointer 42 which can bealigned with any one of a plurality of indicia 44 corresponding tocharacters 12 selected for printing at the printing station 34, all aswill be described in greater detail hereinafter. The tape 14 is carriedin a supply roll 46 held in a magazine 48 and advanced along a path oftravel 50 passing through the printing station 34 to be juxtaposed witheach selected print element 36 at the printing station 34.

Turning now to FIGS. 4 through 10, as well as to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, theprint elements 36 are carried by a print wheel 52 which includes aplurality of radially extending resiliently flexible fingers 54, eachfinger 54 carrying a print element 36. The print wheel 52, or at leasteach finger 54, is preferably constructed of a resiliently flexiblematerial, preferably metal, and each print element 36 is preferablyfabricated of an elastomer, such as rubber, molded onto a finger S4 ofthe print wheel. Other elastomers, such as a polyurethane materialcompatible with the ink employed for printing with tool 10, arefeasible. The print wheel 52 is affixed at 56 to the selector wheel 40for rotation therewith relative to sub-frame 24 which forms a part of aselector assembly 58 carried by the main frame 22. All of the fingers 54of the print wheel 52 normally lie within the same plane P; however,upon rotation of the selector wheel 40, and concomitant rotation of theprint wheel 52, the print element 36A which is brought into the printingstation 34 engages deflector means shown in the form of a deflectorroller 60 journaled within the sub-frame 24 at the printing station.Such engagement of the print element 36A with the deflector roller 60deflects the print element 36A downwardly, as seen in FIGS. and 7through 10.

In the illustrated embodiment, the indicia 44 are carried by thesub-frame 24 and the selector wheel 40 is transparent so that uponrotation of the selector wheel the pointer 42 may be aligned with aselected indicia 44 to locate the corresponding print element 36 at theprinting station 34 wherein that print element will de displaceddownwardly out of the plane P of the adjacent print elements 363 and36C. A detent projection 62 is mounted in the sub-frame 24 and isresiliently biased by a spring 64 into a detent recess 66 correspondingto the selected print element 36A to properly align and retain theselected print element at the printing station. Selector wheel 40 isgrooved along the outer periphery 68 thereof to facilitate manualgripping and rotation of the selector wheel.

Upon movement of the actuator lever 30 from the rest position 30R to theintermediate position 30F, a drive pin 70, carried by the actuator lever30 and engaged with an L-shaped slot 72 within a carriage 74 journaledupon the frame 20 for rotation about an altitudinal axis 76, swings thecarriage 74 from a first position 74F, illustrated in full lines in FIG.4, to a second position 748, illustrated in phantom in FIG. 4. Duringmovement of the carriage 74 from the first position to the secondposition thereof, the selected print element 36A is inked by inkingmeans which include an ink res- 5 ervoir, illustrated in the form of anink supply member 80 of ink-permeated material supported in a bracket 82affixed to the frame 20, and an inking mechanism 81 including at leastone roller, and preferably a pair of ink rollers 83 and 84 carried bythe carriage 74 and located such that ink rollers 83 and 84 make contactwith one another, and roller 83 contacts ink supply member 80 when thecarriage 74 is in the first position thereof. Ink supply member 80 has agenerally cylindrical configuration and is affixed to one end of a shaft86 journaled for rotation in the bracket 82. A gear 88 is mounted uponthe other end of the shaft 86 and is engaged with a rack 90 carried bythe selector wheel 40 so that upon rotation of the selector wheel theshaft 86 and the ink supply member 80 will be rotated, thereby rotatingthe ink rollers 83 and 84 and inking the outer surfaces thereof. Uponmovement of the carriage 74 from the first position to the Secondposition thereof the ink rollers 83 and 84 will follow a path of travel92 which extends through the printing station 34 and is juxtaposed withthe path of travel 38 of the print elements 36 so that the inkedsurfaces of the ink rollers 83 and 84 will contact selected printelement 36A, which is now displaced downwardly from the plane P ofadjacent print elements 368 and 36C, as illustrated in FIG. 8, to applyink to the print-carrying face 94 thereof without interference from theadjacent print elements.

Upon further movement of the actuator lever 30 from the intermediateposition 30F toward the fully depressed position 30D, a cam surface 96on the actuator lever will engage a follower 98 which depends from atape carrier assembly 100 mounted upon the frame 20 for pivotal movementabout a lateral axis 101 defined by laterally extending stub-shafts 102journaled within the frame 20 at 104. The tape carrier assembly 100includes a receptacle 106 located more-or-less centrally within the toolfor receiving the tape magazine 48 and provides a tape chute 108 (seeFIG. 5) which defines the longitudinally extending path of travel 50 forthe tape 14 from the magazine 48 to the printing station 34. The path oftravel 50 is juxtaposed with and passes beneath the selected printelement 36A at the printing station 34. Upon continued movement of theactuator lever 30 toward the fully depressed position 30D, the camsurface 96 will drive the follower 98 upwardly to pivot the tape carrierassembly 100 about the lateral axis 101 so that a platen 109, carried bythe tape carrier assembly 100, is moved upwardly, in an altitudinaldirection, together with the tape 14 to press the tape against the inkedface 94 of the selected print element 36A, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and10, and print a character upon the tape. During such continued movementof the actuator lever 30 from the intermediate to the fully depressedposition the drive pin 70 traverses the longer leg 110 of the L-shapedslot 72.so that the carriage 74 remains stationary, but is retained atthe secbe engaged with the tape to print a character upon the tape.

When the actuator lever 30 is released, the main return spring 33 willurge the lever 30 from the fully depressed position 30D, toward theintermediate position 30P thereof, and the tape carrier assembly 100will be lowered by a carrier return spring 112 which extends between theframe at 114 and the carrier assembly 100 at 116 and which biases thecarrier assembly 100 in a downward direction. Continued movement of theactuator lever from the intermediate position 30F thereof toward therest position 30R will return the carriage 74 from the second position745 to the first position 74F thereof by virtue of the engagement of thedrive pin with the short leg 118 of the L-shaped slot 72. At the sametime, the tape 14 will be indexed through a prescribed increment ofadvancement by feed means 120 carried by the carrier assembly 100 andincluding a feed roll 122 journaled for rotation within a slot 124 inthe tape carrier assembly 100 and urged upwardly by a cantilever spring126 to form a nip 128 between the peripheral surface 130 of the feedroll 122 and a pressure roll 132 mounted for rotation within the tapemagazine 48, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 13.

The tape magazine 48 has a chamber 134 for the tape supply roll 46 andan internal passage 136 for the tape 14, the passage 136 including aninlet 138 adjacent the chamber 134 and an outlet 140 juxtaposed with thetape chute 108 of the tape carrier assembly 100. An opening 142 in themagazine 48 juxtaposed with the pressure roll 132 enables the feed roll122 to enter the passage 136 and grip the tape 14 at the nip 128 forfeeding the tape through the desired increment of advancement.

The feed roll 122 is indexed through an angular increment correspondingto the desired increment of advancement of the tape 14 by a pawl andratchet mechanism which includes a pawl 144 having a pawl tooth 146engaged between ratchet teeth 148 of a ratchet wheel 150 which iscoupled for rotation with the feed roll 122. When the actuator lever 30is moved from the rest position 30R to the intermediate position 30F andthe carriage 74 is moved from the first position 74F to the secondposition 745, a crank 152 (see FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 13) is rotated in aclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4, and the pawl 144, which isengaged at one end 154 thereof by the crank 152 and which is supportedat the other end 156 by a ledge 158 on the carrier assembly 100 engagedwithin a slide 160 in the pawl 144, is retracted; that is, the pawl 144is moved toward the left, as viewed in FIGS. 5 and 13. The pawl 144itself is fabricated of a resiliently flexible material so that suchretraction of the pawl enables the pawl tooth 146 to pass over theratchet tooth 148 which lies immediately behind the pawl tooth 146. Atthe same time, clockwise rotation of the feed roll 122 is precluded bythe abutment of another ratchet tooth 162 against a stop 164 located onthe carrier assembly 100. Upon return of the actuator lever 30 from theintermediate position 30F to the rest position 30R and return of thecarriage 74 from the second position 745 to the first position 74F, thecrank 152 will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction therebydriving the pawl 144 forward; that is, toward the right as viewed inFIGS. 5 and 13, so that the pawl tooth 146 will engage ratchet tooth 148and will index the feed roll 122 through the desired increment. The stop164 is carried by a flexible arm 166 which will be deflected, by virtueof the contour of the adjacent ratchet tooth 163, to permit suchindexing of the ratchet wheel 150. When the actuator lever 30 reachesthe rest position 30R, a stop shoulder 170 on the actuator lever willabut the frame 20 at 172 to retain the actuator lever at the restposition 30R.

It has been found that with some print element materials more uniformprinting can be obtained by prewetting all of the print elements 36 withink prior to the start of printing operations. Such pre-wetting isattained by locating the ink supply member 80 so that the cylindricalsurface 174 thereof intercepts the path of travel 38 of the printelements 36 whereby upon rotation of the selector wheel 40, each of theprint elements 36 is sequentially brought into contact with the surface174 of the ink supply member 80 and is wetted with ink. Two fullrevolutions of the selector wheel 40 prior to the printing of a labelhas been found sufficient to accomplish such pre-wetting of the printingfaces 94 of the print elements 36.

The ink supply member 80 is preferably constructed of a porous materialwhich retains ink. Such materials are commercially available, one suchmaterial being known as Microwell inking material. The amount of inkpicked up by the ink rollers 83 and 84 and transferred to the selectedprint element 36A just prior to the printing of each character isgoverned by the extent of the content between ink roller 83 and the inksupply member 80 when the carriage 74 is at the first position 74F. Inorder to compensate for the eventual depletion of the ink from the inksupply member 80, the amount of contact between the ink roller 83 andthe ink supply member 80 may be increased selectively from time to time.Thus, the carriage 74 is supplied with a stop shoulder 176 which engagesan abutment 178 located on a dial 180 carried by the bracket 82. Thefirst position 74F of the carriage 74 is determined by the location ofthe carriage when the stop shoulder 176 contacts the abutment 178 to fixthe position of the carriage 74. As best seen in FIG. 11, the dial 180is provided with two alternate abutments 182 and 184, in addition toabutment 178, any one of which selectively may be located in the path ofthe stop shoulder 176 of the carriage. Since the abutments extend todifferent lateral positions relative to one another, the location of thefirst position 74F of the carriage 74 may be varied selectively in thelateral direction to vary the pressure between the ink roller 83 and theink supply member 80. In this manner, the amount of ink transferred fromthe ink supply member 80 to the ink roller 83 may be varied selectivelyto compensate for the depletion of ink from the ink supply member, thuslending uniformity to the printed character 12.

Once all of the characters 12 of a desired label have been printed upontape '14, the tape may be severed to deliver a completed label 16. Tape14 is of the-type having a pressure-sensitive adhesive coated upon thereverse surface 186 thereof and a release backing 188 overlying theadhesive. Cut-off means are provided in the form of a cut-off mechanism190 carried by the carriage 74 and including a pair of cut-off blades192 and 194 which are located immediately above the platen 109 and abovethe path of travel 50 of the tape 14 at a cut-off station whichcoincides with the printing station 34 when the carriage 74 is in thefirst position 74F thereof. The blades 192 and 194 each include acutting edge 195 having a lateral width slightly greater than thelateral width of tape 14. When it is desired to sever a label 16 fromthe tape 14, the actuator lever 30 is retained at the rest position 30Rand the carriage 74 is retained at the first position 74F. A cut-offlever 196, which is mounted upon the frame 20 for pivotal movement abouta lateral axis 198 and which is normally biased into the positionillustrated in FIG. by a coil spring 200, is pushed downwardly asindicated by the arrow 202 in FIG. 5. Such'movement of the cut-off lever196 will raise a lobe 204 on on the lever 196 and the lobe 204 willengage the tape carrier assembly 100 at 206 thereby raising the carrierassembly and the platen 109 carried by the carrier assembly to urge thetape 14 against the blades 192 and 194.

The blades 192 and 194 are held within slots 208 and 210 in the carriage74 which preclude the longitudinal and lateral movement of the blades,but enable the blades to slide upwardly anddownwardly in the altitudinaldirection. Such altitudinal sliding movement is confined by slide meansincluding a pin 212 which passes through apertures 214 and 216 in blades192 and 194, respectively. Thus; the relative altitudinal position ofthe cutting edges 1950f the blades is determined by the diameterof theparticular portion of the pin 212 which passes through the apertures 214and 216 to provide stops for blades 192 and 194, since both aperturesare of the same diameter. A slide button 218 is coupled with the pin 212and is mounted in the carriage 74 for sliding movement in thelongitudinal direction such that sliding movement of the button 218 willslide the pin 212 forward and backward. When the slide button 218 andthe pin 212 are located at the rear wardmost position, as illustrated inFIGS. 4 and 5, the smaller diameter segment 220 of the pin is alignedwith the forward blade 192 and blade 192 will move upwardly relative tothe rear blade 194 as the tape 14 is moved upwardly against the bladesso that the cutting edge of both blades will be spaced from the platen109 a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the releasebacking 188, which distance is sufficient to merely cut through theprinted label, but not through the release backing so that consecutivelabels 16, each having a short tab 221, will be carried upon acontinuous release backing 188, as illustrated at 222 in FIG. 3, eventhough the consecutive labels 16 are severed from one another.

When it is desired to sever both the printed label 16 and the releasebacking 188 of tape 14 so as to sever a complete label from theremaining tape, the slide button 218 may be moved forward, therebymoving the pin 212 forward and locating the larger diameter segment 224of the pin within both apertures 214 and 216 so that upon movement ofthe platen 109 upwardly toward the blades, the cutting edge of forwardblade 192 will be located closer to the platen 109 then the cutting edgeof rear blade 194, by virtue of the angle A of the platen 109, so thatthe forward blade will completely sever the tape 14 with the releasebacking 188 while the rear blade 194 will merely sever the printed labelbut not the release backing 188 to establish the short tab 221 forfacilitating later removal of backing strip 188 from the remainder ofthe tape of the next subsequent label. In this manner, the operator mayselect either one of two modes of operation, namely, a first mode wherea string 222 of labels 16 is produced, which labels are joined togetherby a common release backing 188, or a second mode of operation whereeach individual label 16, together with its release backing 188, istotally severed from the remainder of the tape 14.

. As best seen in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 12, the tape magazine 48 isreleasably retained within the receptacle 106 by detent means includingdetent projections 230 carried upon resiliently flexible latches 232extending downwardly into the receptacle 106. The detent pro- 10jections 230 are received within detent recesses 234 to capture andretain the magazine 48 in the receptacle 106. When it is desired toremove the magazine from the receptacle, the latches 232 are flexedoutwardly, as illustrated in phantom in FIG. 12, by pushing forward upona slide member 236 mounted upon the main frame 22 for forward andbackward movement, as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5, to engage wedge-shapedportions 238, of the slide member 236 with corresponding portions 240 ofthe latches 232. Upon release of the detent projections 230 from thedetent recesses 234, the magazine 48 will be moved upwardly slightly bythe upward bias of the cantilever spring 126 against feed roll 122 whichis urged against the pressure roll 132 of the magazine 48. The magazinemay then be removed from the receptacle 106 and replaced as desired.

In order to enable the interchange of various type fonts, as well as togain access to the inking mechanism 81 and the cut-off mechanism 190 toenable the operator to make the various selections described above, thesub-frame 24 selectively may be removed from the main frame 22. Thus, asshown in FIG. 6, the sub-frame is provided with a plurality of dependinglocking tongues 250 which extend adjacent slots 252 in a rim 254integral with the main frame 22 when the subframe 24 is assembled withthe main frame. A locking ring 256 is mounted for rotation in the mainframe 22 below the rim 254 and the slots 252 and carries a plurality oflocking blocks 258 which engage complementary locking ledges 260 on thedepending tongues 250 to secure the sub-frame 24 upon the main frame 22.In order to release the sub-frame 24 from the main frame 22, the slidemember 236 may be grasped at a lower lip 262 thereof (see FIG. 5) anddrawn rearward (to the right as viewed in FIG. 5). Such rearwardmovement of the slide member 236 will draw a rib 264 (see FIG. 4), whichis integral with the slide member, through a complementary groove 266 inlocking ring 256 such that the rib 264 will rotate the ring 256 in acounterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 6. Such rotation ofthe locking ring 256 will release locking blocks 256 carried by the ringfrom the ledges 260 in the depending locking tongues 250 of thesub-frame 24 so that the sub-frame may be lifted from the main frame 22,with the ledges 260 passing upwardly through slots 252.

Once the sub-frame 24 is removed from the main frame 22, an alternatesub-frame (not shown), carrying a print wheel with print elementsproviding an alternate set of characters, or an alternate type font, canbe assembled with the main frame 22. In addition, as seen in FIG. 6,access to the inking mechanism 81 for adjustment of the dial and accessto the cut-off mechanism for positioning of the button 218 is attainedby such removal of the sub-frame 24.

It will be seen that tool 10 is a compact device which is capable ofprinting selected characters in ink upon a label tape accurately andwith ease. The choice and ac- 9 curate registration of each character isaccomplished without difficulty, and the high quality of the printedcharacter will be retained for long periods of use.'

It is to be understood that the above described embodiment of theinvention is provided'by way of example only. Various details of-designand construction may be modified without departing from the true spiritand scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. I

The embodiments 'of the invention in whichan exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

L'A printing tool'for printing selected characters upon an elongatestrip of material, said tool-comprising:

a frame; i

a printing station on the frame;

a plurality of printing means mounted on the frame for movement along afirst path'of travel passing through the printing station;

carrier means for guiding said strip of material along a second path oftravel passing through said printing station and juxtaposed with thefirstpath of travel at the printing station; ,r

selector means for selectivelylocating any one of the printing means atthe printing station;

deflector means on the frame for displacing said one selected printingmeans out of the first path of travel toward the second path of travelat the printing station;

inking means on the frame for applying ink to said one selected printingmeans at the printing station; and

operator means on the frame for engaging the strip with the selectedprinting means at the printing station for printing the selectedcharacter upon the strip, the operator means including means for movingthe strip out of the second path of travel toward the first path oftravel and against the selected printing means at the printing station;

the inking means including ink applying means mounted on the frame formovement in response to the operator means along a third path of travelwhich intersects the displaced printing means at the printing stationand extends beyond the printing station such that movement of the inkapplying means along the third path of travel will bring the inkapplying means into contact with the displaced printing means;

, said operator means further including an actuator lever mounted uponthe frame for movement between a first position, a depressed position,and in intermediate position between a rest position and the depressedposition;

means coupling the actuator lever with the ink applying means such thatupon movement of the actuaof travel extendslongitudinally along theframe the.

first and third paths of'travel extend laterally relative to the secondpath-of travel at the printing station and the strip is'movedaltitudinally, in response to movement of the- 'actuator'lever" from theintermediate position toward the depressed position; against theselected printing means at the printing station. n i The invention" ofclaim 2 wherein; i r the selector means include a print wheel mountedfor rotation upon the frame and having a plurality of resilientlyflexible fingers extending radially along 'said wheel, each of saidfingers normally lying in a plane; the plurality of y print meansinclude print elements eachlo'cated upon one of the said fingers suchthat said first path of travel isa circular path lying within saidplane; n i

the carrier means" include a carrier assembly mounted upon the frame forpivotal movement toward and away from said plane in response to movementof the actuator lever between the intermediate and depressed positions,said carrier assembly including a platen juxtaposed with the printingstation; i

the inking means include a carriage "mounted for swinging movementessentially parallel to said plane between the print wheel and platen,and an inking mechanism carried by the carriage to sweep through theprinting station in response to movement of the actuator lever betweenthe rest position and the intermediate position; and

the deflector means include a deflector member mounted upon the frameand juxtaposed with said plane for displacing the selected print elementout of said plane toward the platen in response to movement of theselected print element into the printing station.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said carriage is movable between afirst location and a second location in response to movement of theactuator lever between the rest position and the intermediate positionand said inking means include:

an ink reservoir adjacent said first location in position to be engagedby the inking mechanism when the carriage is in said first location; and

means for selectively changing the first location to compensate fordepletion of ink from the ink reservoir.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein the inking mechanism comprises atleast one ink roller.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein the inking mechanism comprises apair of ink rollers engaged with one another.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein the ink reservoir is a member ofink-permeated material.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein the ink reservoir is a generallycylindrical member mounted for rotation in response to rotation of theprint wheel.

9. The invention of claim 7 wherein the ink reservoir is juxtaposed withsaid first path of travel to intercept each print element as the printelements traverse said first path of travel.

10. The invention of claim 3 including cut-off means having a cut-offmechanism carried upon the carriage, said cut-off mechanism beingjuxtaposed with the platen when the actuator lever is in the restposition and being spaced laterally away from the platen when theactuator lever is moved from the intermediate position toward thedepressed position; and

means for selectively moving the platen toward the cut-off mechanism,when the cut-off mechanism is juxtaposed with the platen, for cutting adesired length of said strip.

11. The invention of claim wherein the strip includes a label tape and arelease backing affixed thereto, said cut-off means including first andsecond cut-off blades spaced longitudinally from one another andextending altitudinally toward the carrier assembly, said blades eachincluding a cutting edge confronting the platen; and

means for selecting the altitudinal positions of the cutting edgesrelative to one another such that the cutting edges, during cutting, arelocated either equidistant from the platen or one of the cutting edgesis located closer to the platen than the other of the cutting edges byan amount essentially equal to the thickness of the release backing.

12. The invention of claim 3 in which the strip is supplied from asupply roll contained within a magazine, and the carrier assemblyincludes:

a receptacle for receiving at least a portion of the magazine;

a chute for guiding said strip from the magazine to the printingstation;

feed means for advancing the strip along the chute,

said feed means including a feed roll journaled for rotation in thecarrier assembly;

a pressure member in said magazine;

an opening in the magazine adjacent the pressure member;

means for affixing the magazine within the receptacle with the openingadjacent the feed roll so that the pressure member will establish a nipbetween the feed roll and the pressure member; and

means for resiliently biasing the feed roll toward the pressure membersuch that the strip will be gripped in said nip for advancement inresponse to indexing of the feed roll.

13. The invention of claim 12 wherein said pressure member is a pressureroll.

14. The invention of claim 13 wherein the magazine includes a passagecommunicating with the pressure roll and leading from the supply roll,between the pressure roll and said opening, and thence toward saidchute.

15. The invention of claim 14 wherein said means for affixing themagazine in the receptacle comprises selectively releasable detentmeans.

1. A printing tool for printing selected characters upon an elongatestrip of material, said tool comprising: a frame; a printing station onthe frame; a plurality of printing means mounted on the frame formovement along a first path of travel passing through the printingstation; carrier means for guiding said strip of material along a secondpath of travel passing through said printing station and juxtaposed withthe first path of travel at the printing station; selector means forselectively locating any one of the printing means at the printingstation; deflector means on the frame for displacing said one selectedprinting means out of the first path of travel toward the second path oftravel at the printing station; inking means on the frame for applyingink to said one selected printing means at the printing station; andoperator means on the frame for engaging the strip with the selectedprinting means at the printing station for printing the selectedcharacter upon the strip, the operator means including means for movingthe strip out of the second path of travel toward the first path oftravel and against the selected printing means at the printing station;the inking means including ink applying means mounted on the frame formovement in response to the operator means along a third path of travelwhich intersects the displaced printing means at the printing stationand extends beyond the printing station such that movement of the inkapplying means along the third path of travel will bring the inkapplying means into contact with the displaced printing means; saidoperator means further including an actuator lever mounted upon theframe for movement between a first position, a depressed position, andin intermediate position between a rest position and the depressedposition; means coupling the actuator lever with the ink applying meanssuch that upon movement of the actuator lever from the first positiontoward the intermediate position the ink applying means will traversethe third path of travel to ink the selected printing means at theprinting station and will pass beyond the printing station; and meanscoupling the actuator lever with the carrier means such that uponmovement of the actuator lever beyond the intermediate position towardthe depressed position, the strip will be moved toward the second pathof travel and against the selected printing means at the printingstation.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the second path of travelextends longitudinally along the frame, the first and third paths oftravel extend laterally relative to the second path of travel at theprinting station and the strip is moved altitudinally, in response tomovement of the actuator lever from the intermediate position toward thedepressed position, against the selected printing means at the printingstation.
 3. The invention of claim 2 wherein: the selector means includea print wheel mounted for rotation upon the frame and having a pluralityof resiliently flexible fingers extending radially along said wheel,each of said fingers normally lying in a plane; the plurality of printmeans include print elements each located upon one of the said fingerssuch that said first path of travel is a circular path lying within saidplane; the carrier means include a carrier assembly mounted upon theframe for pivotal movement toward and away from said plane in responseto movement of the actuator lever between the intermediate and depressedpositions, said carrier assembly including a platen juxtaposed with theprinting station; the inking means include a carriage mounted forswinging movement essentially parallel to said plane between the printwheel and platen, and an inking mechanism carried by the carriage tosweep through the printing station in response to movement of theactuator lever between the rest position and the intermediate position;and the deflector means include a deflector member mounted upon theframe and juxtaposed with said plane for displacing the selected printelement out of said plane toward the platen in response to movement ofthe selected print element into the printing station.
 4. The inventionof claim 3 wherein said carriage is movable between a first location anda second location in response to movement of the actuator lever betweenthe rest position and the intermediate position and said inking meansinclude: an ink reservoir adjacent said first location in position to beengaged by the inking mechanism when the carriage is in said firstlocation; and means for selectively changing the first location tocompensate for depletion of ink from the ink reservoir.
 5. The inventionof claim 4 wherein the inking mechanism comprises at least one inkroller.
 6. The invention of claim 5 wherein the inking mechanismcomprises a pair of ink rollers engaged with one another.
 7. Theinvention of claim 6 wherein the ink reservoir is a member ofink-permeated material.
 8. The invention of claim 7 wherein the inkreservoir is a generally cylindrical member mounted for rotation inresponse to rotation of the print wheel.
 9. The invention of claim 7wherein the ink reservoir is juxtaposed with said first path of travelto intercept each print element as the print elements traverse saidfirst path of travel.
 10. The invention of claim 3 including cut-offmeans having a cut-off mechanism carried upon the carriage, said cut-offmechanism being juxtaposed with the platen when the actuator lever is inthe rest position and being spaced laterAlly away from the platen whenthe actuator lever is moved from the intermediate position toward thedepressed position; and means for selectively moving the platen towardthe cut-off mechanism, when the cut-off mechanism is juxtaposed with theplaten, for cutting a desired length of said strip.
 11. The invention ofclaim 10 wherein the strip includes a label tape and a release backingaffixed thereto, said cut-off means including first and second cut-offblades spaced longitudinally from one another and extendingaltitudinally toward the carrier assembly, said blades each including acutting edge confronting the platen; and means for selecting thealtitudinal positions of the cutting edges relative to one another suchthat the cutting edges, during cutting, are located either equidistantfrom the platen or one of the cutting edges is located closer to theplaten than the other of the cutting edges by an amount essentiallyequal to the thickness of the release backing.
 12. The invention ofclaim 3 in which the strip is supplied from a supply roll containedwithin a magazine, and the carrier assembly includes: a receptacle forreceiving at least a portion of the magazine; a chute for guiding saidstrip from the magazine to the printing station; feed means foradvancing the strip along the chute, said feed means including a feedroll journaled for rotation in the carrier assembly; a pressure memberin said magazine; an opening in the magazine adjacent the pressuremember; means for affixing the magazine within the receptacle with theopening adjacent the feed roll so that the pressure member willestablish a nip between the feed roll and the pressure member; and meansfor resiliently biasing the feed roll toward the pressure member suchthat the strip will be gripped in said nip for advancement in responseto indexing of the feed roll.
 13. The invention of claim 12 wherein saidpressure member is a pressure roll.
 14. The invention of claim 13wherein the magazine includes a passage communicating with the pressureroll and leading from the supply roll, between the pressure roll andsaid opening, and thence toward said chute.
 15. The invention of claim14 wherein said means for affixing the magazine in the receptaclecomprises selectively releasable detent means.